Birds in the Bay Area are mysteriously exploding mid-air. What is going on?

Not The Bee ^ | May 19, 2025 | Staff

[Red Badger]

Bay area residents are reporting that dozens of birds are exploding and falling out of the sky mid flight.

One ring camera caught the instant of a bird's demise on video. I've time stamped it in this report.

VIDEO AT LINK.........

There's a pop and then it drops.

Residents watching it happen explain it like this:

‘So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it's really violent,' Richmond resident Maximillian Bolling told KGO-TV.

And

'It sounded like a firecracker, and a black bird — a starling — just plummeted to the ground,' witness Mark Hoehner told ABC News. 'I've been under the birds when it happens, and I know where the sound is coming from. It's coming from up on the pole.'

The sound coming from up on the pole caused the residents to call the electrical company, who had fish and wildlife come out and inspect the birds.

‘They have shared that the birds show no evidence of electrocution, and that their deaths were caused by trauma, potentially from a pellet or BB gun, or slingshot,' the utility said in a statement.

But the residents aren't satisfied with that answer.

‘I feel like a BB gun doesn't make a firecracker noise,' resident Heather Jones told the outlet. ‘This sounds exactly like a firecracker.'

The folks on the internet have their own ideas about what is causing the birds to pop and drop.

[Red Badger]

Possible. Someone could also cobble together a radar guided laser with a few components off the shelf or from an auto junkyard.................

[John Milner]

The obvious answer: Global Warming.

[Bob434]

When we were kids, one of the rumors was that seaguls that ate Alka seltzer would explode. Dunno if true or not. But maybe the birds are getting into something that causes massive gas buildup or somehtin?

[Bob434]

It’s gotta be global warming- global warming is responsible for everthin

[goodnesswins]

Yes, the word “think” is foreign to idiots.

[himno hero]

Draino and bread.

[himno hero]

Draino and bread.

[Svartalfiar]

The Suicidal Pigeon - Mark David Manders

[laplata]

He knew how to get rid of the problem. Lol

[dfwgator]

Pigeons - Genesis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWTwiNzf100

[hole_n_one]

There’s only one thing that I know of that will make a bird explode, an intense beam of energy like from a solar mirror or LASER...................

….or a Randy Johnson fastball….

[laplata]

Amazing video. Thanks

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

Rice

[Red Badger]

Some sicko doing it if true.............

[4yearlurker]

Yep. Back in the early 1970s in South Jersey we used to bait in seagulls with french fries and then throw up a few Alka Seltzers. I am not proud of this but we all did dumb stuff as a stupid teenager.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

That’s the clip I was thinking of in post #15. That bird sure exploded in midair. Even a square hit from a 12-gauge won’t put that many feathers in the air.

[Fury]

I never did this, but as a kid I heard stories about feeding birds alka-seltzer tablets. Was told they cant belch or pass gas so it would make their stomachs explode. I have no idea if thats really true or not. But if it were, its the kind of thing feral kids would do for kicks.

Won't work.

[Bob434]

could be that the birds are just gettign into something that is discarded- and it’s not intentional too- they should know pretty quickly what is causing it after running tests-

[Bob434]

[[‘I feel like a BB gun doesn’t make a firecracker noise,’ resident Heather Jones told the outlet. ‘This sounds exactly like a firecracker.’]]

bb gun and slingshot don’t make a cracking pop sound- although some powerful pellet guns will- which will sound like a rifle shot- especially if a moderator isn’t used- (moderators are legal for pellet rifles in most states- states like NY though have deemed pellet rifles and bb guns as ‘the same as firearms’ and do not allow moderators unless you get a special permit nowe-)

[laplata]

I understand. lol